1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a method of switching filled states.
2. Related Art
A printing apparatus which includes a head for discharging a plurality of color inks onto a medium has been already well known. As such printing apparatuses, ink jet printers which discharge ink onto various types of media such as a sheet, a fabric, and a film, etc., and perform white color printing (printing with white ink) in addition to monochrome printing and color printing have been known.
Among such ink jet printers, there is an ink jet printer which includes a head into which white ink and clear ink are selectively filled. The clear ink is filled into the head for preventing the head from being clogged. In order to realize such selective filling, the ink jet printer includes a white ink container which contains white ink, a clear ink container which contains clear ink and a selection portion which communicates either of the white ink container or the clear ink container with the head.
JP-A-2008-162023 is an example of related art.
In the above ink jet printer, a first switching is executed in order to fill the head with white ink and a second switching is executed in order to fill the head with clear ink. In the first switching, a second filled state where the head is filled with clear ink is switched to a first filled state where the head is filled with white ink. In the second switching, the first filled state is switched to the second filled state. At this time, the first switching is executed by operating the selection portion so as to shift from a state where the clear ink container is communicated with the head to a state where the white ink container is communicated with the head, and then, consuming ink from the head. On the other hand, the second switching is executed by operating the selection portion so as to shift from a state where the white ink container is communicated with the head to a state where the clear ink container is communicated with the head, and then, consuming ink from the head.
In this manner, ink is consumed from the head at the time of switching. However, the ink consumed at these times is desirably suppressed to a minimum amount as possible.